Identity
by momothelemur
Summary: What Happens When Zuko Catches Up To Katara In The Fire Nation? Will He Believe Her Disguise...Or Demand Her Immediate Arrest? [Angsty][Oneshot]


_**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I Own Some Of The DVDs, But Unfortunately Not The Show.**_

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_**A/N:**_

_**If you haven't seen the DVD cover for Season Three, then please check it out before reading this oneshot. The link is on my homepage, Entitled "The Gaang's New Look".**_

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_First time out alone in the Fire Nation, _Katara thought, nervously hugging her black cloak tighter around herself. That morning, their first in the Fire Nation, Sokka had delegated them all tasks for that day. They would have to split up in order to get these tasks done, as the Earth King had chosen to remain in the Earth Kingdom at a friend's home, rather than travel to the Fire Nation with them. This was a blessing; there would be a lot less to carry, and besides the Earth King had given the group what money his friend was able to give them, and some helpful advice. According to Kuei (it turned out that this was the Earth King's name) there was a safe house in the Fire Nation capital that Earth Kingdom spies often used for escape when they had been discovered on missions. This would be ideal for the group to hide in. However, there was a flaw in this plan: Kuei didn't know whereabouts this safe house was.

Cut to a few days later in the Fire Nation, when the group had come across a run-down old shack on the well-travelled road they had been walking along. The shack, even though half dilapidated and unstable, had served to be their resting place for the night. Although more than a week had passed since that fateful encounter in Ba Sing Se, Aang was still not at his full strength, which worried them all, particularly Katara. She took her role as matriarch of their little family very seriously, insisting that they stop every few hours so as to not over-exert Aang. Sokka spotting the shack had been a miracle; they were all tired and in need of rest. After an immensely hot night spent tossing and turning on the rotting wooden floor, none of them were exactly up and ready to go, but Toph had caused a mini earthquake to ensure that they all awoke. When he had finished groaning and asking pitifully to be fed, Sokka started ordering them about.

"Katara." He said, turning to his little sister who was still lying down. She had cracked one eye open lazily, to show that she was paying attention. "You're going to go into the nearest marketplace to get us something to eat."

"I am?" Katara asked, her eyebrows raised, half-amused, half-irritated at Sokka's command.

"Please?" He asked pleadingly, with less authority than before.

"That's better." Katara approved with a nod. "But I'm not sure how much food we can get with Earth Kingdom money, or if they'll even accept the currency."

"Just try." Sokka suggested with a shrug. Then he moved on. "Toph, stay here with Aang. I don't want either of you leaving here until we get back."

"And what will _you _do?" Toph challenged. "Find the quickest way to get us all arrested? You're not exactly subtle in anything you do, Snoozles."

"I'll be finding the refuge that Kuei mentioned." Sokka said, a slight note of self-importance entering his voice. "How hard can it be?"

"Famous last words." Katara muttered, rolling her eyes. However, she adjusted her newly-styled hair and departed, walking with Sokka on the dusty, deserted road until they reached the buildings that signified they were in a city. It was then Sokka turned to his sister.

"I want you back in the shack before nightfall, you understand? In fact, meet me here as soon as it starts getting dark." He told Katara seriously. "We're out of our depth here, new country that's run by the people who tried to kill us and all. If you see any sign of Fire Nation royalty-" Sokka spat this word bitterly "-then run. It doesn't matter if you don't get any food."

At that moment his stomach rumbled loudly. "Although it'd be great if you can." He admitted, smiling slightly.

"Don't worry." Katara laughed, hugging Sokka. "I'll be careful. Good luck finding the refuge."

"Are you kidding?" Sokka called back as he started to walk away. "When have we ever needed luck?"

Shaking her head and smiling at her brother's ironic words, Katara turned to face the city, which suddenly seemed a thousand times larger now she was alone.

_Just get in, get the food, get out, _Katara reminded herself. _It's like falling off a log._

Walking purposefully forward until she found something that looked like it could be a market, Katara did not hesitate. The moment she hesitated, she knew, would be the moment she would want to run away, screaming in fear. So she simply marched ahead, and soon came to a large, intimidating crowd, noisy and bustling. Each person in the crowd seemed to be battling to go a different way, resulting in chaos. Above the mass of people rose wooden stalls, their owners crying out their wares. Katara wrinkled her nose against the stench that threatened to overpower her even from where she was stood; rotting vegetables and fish were carelessly thrown out into the street and in some places the gutter was overflowing. The almost unbearable heat magnified these smells and Katara nearly turned back out of disgust. However, the people in the throng, who were mainly women and small children, seemed not to notice the stink, so Katara followed their lead and ignored her watering eyes and her nose that was practically screaming in protest.

_Like falling off a log, _Katara repeated silently. _A log that my feet have been nailed to._

Holding back only a moment longer, Katara thrust herself into the sea of people. In a second, she was buffeted by the scurrying people, several elbows came perilously close to her face and unidentifiable bodies pressed themselves unknowingly against Katara from all sides, crushing her inwards.

_If I don't fight my way out, I'll die, _She thought, panicky, as she almost lost her balance. Ignoring the fact that she had no idea which stall was the one she wanted, Katara squared her shoulders and began to push herself through the sweaty crowd. No one seemed to notice the teenage girl fighting for freedom, as everyone was too busy trying to move through the jostling crowd and get to the stall they wanted. Several lost children were howling for their mothers, their shrieks mingling with that of the buzz of chatter and shouting stallholders.

_I'm going to go insane here! _Katara thought through gritted teeth as she barged her way through yet another clump of loud, talkative people.

When at last she arrived at a stall she almost recoiled in revulsion. Large flies squatted and flew around meat that had been out in the sun for too long. The meat at the back of the stall was putrid and rotting, and wouldn't be fit for an animal to eat.

"Penguin meat ladies?" Roared the stall owner, a large man with black, receding hair. "Specially imported from the North Pole this is, a delicacy that few can afford back there. But I offer it you today for just ten copper pieces per pound!"

"Five copper pieces?!" Repeated a woman to Katara's left, furiously.

"Does that include the flies?" Katara shouted before she could stop herself. Laughter came from the people grouped around Katara, but the stall owner glared at her. Biting back something she longed to point out (that the meat being sold wasn't penguin meat, she knew what penguin meat looked like; and that, as penguins were common in both poles, their meat was definitely no delicacy) Katara cursed silently and turned back. She hadn't wanted to attract unnecessary attention to herself: her dark skin and obvious inexperience at the market place would do that already. However a few people parted to let her through, impressed at her boldness. Encouraged despite herself, Katara fought with equal viciousness through the crowd now, and got to a second stall a lot faster.

"Cabbages!" Yelled a familiar voice. Katara smirked slightly as the man who sold cabbages came into better view. Katara, Sokka and Aang had (literally) run into this man many times. Travelling into the Fire Nation had not altered his appearance any, not that Katara had expected it would. However, the shining happiness in his eyes would sooner or later be snuffed out by the curse that hung around the cabbages like flies on the rancid meat she had just stepped over. Making sure that Cabbage Guy didn't see her (he may recognise her and unwittingly announce her presence) Katara moved as swiftly as she could away from the stall. In spite of her efforts, suddenly a large man came barrelling into view, knocking her sideways. Katara fell into the cabbage stall, scattering cabbages everywhere, which were promptly stood on. A hand came into view to help her up, and Katara accepted the hand without question. Sheepishly glancing sideways at Cabbage Guy, she saw him staring wide-eyed at the object of his obsession, silently mouthing _"My cabbages…" _over and over, shaking his head.

"That's it!" He proclaimed dramatically after a moment. "I give up! From this moment forward I'm selling rocks! Just try and destroy those!"

If the man hadn't been clearly suffering from a mental-breakdown, Katara would have burst out laughing at his threat aimed at the destroyer of his precious cabbages. However, breaking away from the hand that helped her up, she turned to leave, immersing herself once again in the crowd. This time Katara listened for the shouts of merchandise rather than choose randomly. Luckily a group had formed around Cabbage Guy, some muttering worriedly about his mental health, others trying to console him. This made it a little easier to get through the crowd, and as Katara heard the shout of "Vegetables! Meat! Ingredients!" she turned optimistically in that direction. The breakdown of Cabbage Guy was attracting a larger audience, so Katara found it, if not easy, then less difficult to get to the stall she wanted.

The owner of this stall eyed her over uneasily, as though she may try and steal something. Katara guessed that the cloak _was _a bit much, but she didn't want to be discovered. However, in the sweltering heat it was all she could do to not discard of it. She compromised by letting the hood of the cloak down, leaving her hair free to fall around her shoulders. This new hairstyle, although popular with Fire Nation women, was not to Katara's taste, and she couldn't wait to get her "hair loopies" as Sokka had called them, back.

Casting a swift glance over the food lay out in front of her, Katara nodded to several items that she knew Sokka, Aang and Toph would all like. The stallholder grudgingly gave her what she asked for, and told her the price. Wincing at the hefty sum, Katara began to draw out Earth Kingdom coins, only to be interrupted.

"Don't take Earth Kingdom money." The stallholder said gruffly.

"What?" Katara asked, raising her head sharply. "Why?"

"Fire Nation or nothin' ". The stallholder snarled, getting hostile towards Katara.

"That's ridiculous!" Katara snapped indignantly. "It's all money isn't it?"

"If you can't pay, then get the hell out of my sight!"

"Here." Said a voice that made Katara's heart sink. A hand slammed down several Fire Nation coins in front of the stallholder and Katara's chest constricted. She remained facing front, unwilling to turn around to who she knew was standing there. Denial was often the best coping method, she found. Especially when things like these were happening.

"Your Majesty, there's no need for your generosity." The stallholder said, lowering his eyes and fumbling with his hands. With those words, Katara's fears had been confirmed, and she knew without doubt who had put down the money. Unwillingly, she turned around, knowing that if she was unpleasant towards Prince Zuko then it would blow her cover.

"Thank you…Sir." She managed, choking out the last word. Her eyes remained firmly fixed at her feet. She hoped that the people around her took this as a sign of respect, but in truth, Katara didn't want Zuko to recognise any part of her, particularly her cerulean eyes that stood out amongst the other citizens golden ones.

There were so many things that Katara wanted to scream at the Prince before her, many of them profanities that would make even Toph blush. She wanted nothing better than to Waterbend his ass back to the palace, or wherever it was he was living now he was back in Daddy's good books. However, she controlled herself, knowing that she would have more than enough people to fight when the comet and solar eclipse came around. Katara could only pray that Zuko was one of these people she could fight.

"Haven't I seen you before?" Zuko asked, much to Katara's horror. How could he have recognised her beneath this black cloak that she was now incredibly glad she had worn? Her hair was different, her clothes were different…she had even put on a little makeup in an effort to make her dark skin paler. "Aren't you one of the servants at the palace?" He asked, after a moment's thought.

Katara's horror and fear changed immediately to anger. She was in a different country, had changed her entire look, yet Zuko takes one look at her and still thinks he's better. Typical.

_Next time I see you, you are so dead, _Katara silently fumed. However, still trying to keep up the pretence of a humbled Fire Nation citizen, she shook her head.

"Then you must be a traveller." Zuko concluded quickly. He sounded guilty that he had accused Katara of being a servant, and seemed to be trying to make amends. "After all, not many carry around foreign currency."

"Yes, I am a traveller. My family and I are staying in this city for now though, we arrived a couple of days ago from Ba Sing Se." Katara said, improvising as quickly as she could. "We don't have much money with us and my little brother is very sick. The healers say he might not have long left to live, so if you'll excuse me-"

"What's wrong with your brother?" Zuko asked with slightly narrowed eyes, ignoring her excuse to leave.

"Uh-" Katara said, casting around wildly, "pentapox."

"I think I've heard of that." Zuko frowned. "Isn't it highly contagious?"

_Damn! _Katara cursed silently. _If it was highly contagious then I wouldn't be out in public! Come on Zuko, you've never taken an interest in anything I've had to say before, please don't start now!_

"It is." Katara nodded, trying to sound devastated. "I shouldn't even be outside, but we needed the food desperately. But I really should be getting back. Thank you again Your Highness." She made the mistake of looking up as she turned to go. Her eyes met Zuko's for a split second. In that second, she was sure that there was a spark of recognition in his eyes. Making sure she was clutching the basket that had come with the food, Katara quickly turned away, for fear that Zuko had figured out who she really was.

_This log is getting increasingly harder to fall off, _Katara worried, as she elbowed and fought her way through the dispersing crowd. For the first time in her life, Katara was grateful to Cabbage Guy for causing such a scene about his cabbages; it meant an easier escape from Zuko. She was going in the wrong direction that she should be, but didn't want to pass Zuko by again. That would be jinxing her already thinning luck, so she would just have to wait it out and turn back when she could be sure that he was gone.

"Katara!" A sudden voice shouted. Katara stopped and turned around unwittingly, realizing her mistake a second too late. In one, heart-stopping moment, it became clear that Zuko had been the one who shouted. He now stood there, a victorious smirk creeping onto his face. He took a step forward, and that was all Katara needed. Knowing that she had been discovered and that Zuko wasn't about to just let it go, she began to run, not caring where. She had been foolish and used up her bending water long before they had reached the Fire Nation, meaning that right now she was unprotected.

_There's always something, _Katara thought frantically. Despite her heaving chest and heavy legs, she would not stop running. _There's always something to defend myself with. I don't need water. _She found herself still grasping the basket that the stallholder had grudgingly handed over to her after Zuko had paid. If the worst came to the worst (and let's face it, with her luck, it would) she could fling that at the Prince. _It might disorient him into stopping…or cause him to laugh so hard at my pathetic attempt that he stops anyway, _Katara thought. Her limbs were getting heavier with each step she took, and she cursed her lack of proper sleep.

"Out of my way!" She heard Zuko shout imperiously, sounding much more like his old self than before. Knowing that he was definitely following her did nothing for Katara's thudding heart, but it increased her speed. Surging forward through the crowd, she didn't care who she shoved and pushed out the way; everything was just a red and black blur as she ran.

Soon enough, the wooden stalls of the marketplace were easing, with tall stone buildings replacing them. Even through her fear and adrenaline rush, Katara noticed how every building she now passed looked exactly the same: like a prison block. Some of the buildings had soldiers standing outside them, but Katara knew she couldn't ask them for directions. Glancing swiftly sideways, Katara saw an alleyway. It looked dirty and unkempt, but at least it was deserted. Again glimpsing furtively either side, Katara slid into the alley. The smell was much like that of the marketplace, but at least here, where all was shadowed by the buildings, the smell had not been amplified by the sunlight. Careful to avoid something on the ground that Katara didn't want to identify, she pressed herself against a part of the alley wall that was most shadowed and dark. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, but Katara just closed her eyes and tried to focus on not passing out. As long as she kept breathing steadily, she should be okay. Zuko would run right past the alley and she would be safe.

"Are you stupid, or just plain ignorant?" Asked an amused voice, from somewhere in front of Katara.

_You've got to be kidding me! _Katara inwardly screamed, as her eyes flew open. Zuko was directly opposite her, leaning on an alley wall. She didn't know which was worse; that fact that he had found her, or his increasingly annoying smirk. The fireball lit up in the palm of his hand was also pretty bad.

"I mean, come on." Zuko continued, raising his eyebrow mockingly. "An alleyway? If you're foolish enough to hide in an _alley_ of all places then you deserve to be found."

Katara glanced sideways quickly, but she knew it was useless. Seeing the direction of her look, Zuko spoke.

"You'd be on fire before you had even moved." He told her casually, flexing the palm in which the fireball rested.

_Next time we need food, I'm making someone come with me, _Katara decided, as Zuko looked her up and down, almost critically.

"You've changed." He said. It wasn't a question, more a confused statement.

"You haven't." Katara shot back. Her eyes rested momentarily on the fire in Zuko's hand, before she looked back up. "As if I needed reminding." She added softly.

Zuko looked uncomfortable for a second, much to Katara's surprise. His brow creased momentarily and he wouldn't meet her eyes. Then, as if something invisible washed over him, he was back to his normal, smirking self.

"How's the Avatar?"

The fire that lit up in Katara's eyes had nothing to do with the reflection the fireball cast on her face. If Zuko knew that he had gone too far, he didn't show it. Katara's anger, however, was evident in her trembling voice.

"Does it feel good to know that you played a big part in seriously injuring the only person who can save the world?" She asked. Mixed in with her fury, there was a terrible sadness. Whether the sadness was for Aang's predicament, or Zuko's betrayal, she didn't know.

"You mess with fire, you get burned." Zuko shrugged indifferently.

"You mess with us you get your ass kicked!" Katara exploded, her raging shout echoing around the long alleyway. Zuko laughed humourlessly.

"Bold words, considering you have no water source."

Katara fell silent at this truth. She was banking on Zuko not knowing this, and letting her just walk off. Thinking about it, it was a little _too_ optimistic.

"Besides, even with your Waterbending, you can't beat me." Zuko continued, with the same infuriating nonchalance.

"Excuse me?" Katara asked incredulously. "Were you _watching_ the last two fights we were in?"

"You mean the ones where you lost?" Zuko asked, smirking. "Yes, I was."

Katara narrowed her eyes. She was, as much as she hated to admit this, helpless, so answering back or threatening Zuko would do no good. There was no immediate way of escape, unless it miraculously started to rain. This being the Fire Nation, she highly doubted the weather would stray from being ridiculously hot.

"How did you know it was me?" She asked suddenly. She was stalling for time, praying for some form of miracle to occur. "In the marketplace. What made you realize?"

"No one can get into the Fire Nation, apart from Fire Nation council members and a few traders with official documentation. You said you were a traveller from Ba Sing Se, which definitely wouldn't be allowed." Zuko paused, and gave a small disbelieving laugh. "Also, pentapox?"

"Hey, it worked getting out of Omashu." Katara told him defensively. She was proud of this excuse, which had got her and her friends out of a couple of potentially sticky situations in the past.

"Luckily for you, the family in charge of Omashu at the time were idiots. We're not all that stupid."

"There are many things I could say in response to that, but I'll let it drop for now." Katara told him sweetly, with a mocking undercurrent to her voice.

"Good plan. Now where's the Avatar?" Zuko asked, his voice suddenly cold.

_Well he certainly doesn't waste time, _Katara thought, _Unless it was a shock tactic - ask me randomly and expect me to answer. God, this guy's an idiot._

"I'm not telling you." Katara replied, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. A moment later, she regretted her condescending tone as Zuko took a threatening step forward.

"Maybe Azula would loosen your tongue." He hissed, taking another step towards her. Katara felt herself shrinking back into the wall as the bright fireball in Zuko's hand got closer. She only realized how far back she had leant until her back came into contact with the hard wall. Zuko walked further, taking slow steps that reminded Katara of a predator. When he was stood a foot in front of her, he looked down at her mockingly.

"Afraid of me?" Zuko whispered, his smirk becoming more pronounced now. "You should be."

"It isn't you I'm afraid of." Katara spat, surprising herself by taking a step forward. Her throat was dry and how her voice had come out as anything other than a croak she didn't know. "It's your little sister who scares me."

As soon as the words had tumbled out of her mouth she regretted them. She didn't regret them for fear of Zuko's feelings getting hurt, but more for her safety; the moment she had said the last word, Zuko's expression darkened considerably. Swiftly, his arm shot out and pushed Katara's shoulder roughly, so that she fell back into the wall. Barely managing to keep her balance, Katara's eyes widened as she realized that Zuko wasn't about to let her go. His hand pressed into her shoulder so hard, that Katara feared he may break it if he didn't let up. But when Zuko raised and drew back his free arm, it seemed like a broken shoulder was the least of Katara's worries. Although it had been extinguished before, another ball of fire now nestled in Zuko's palm. It was positioned, so that if Zuko slammed his hand directly forward, the fire would engulf Katara's face.

"Maybe I should give you a reason to be afraid of me?" Zuko suggested dangerously. Katara turned her head sideways into the wall so she wouldn't have to face Zuko. He could kill her, right now, and they both knew it. She hadn't expected his to go this far with his threatening, and she was scared.

"Well?" He demanded, pressing still harder on Katara's shoulder. He added heat to his already painful grip, and Katara winced as she felt her whole arm begin to shake through pressure. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't just kill you right now."

"Because you're not a monster!" Katara told him, the strength in her voice coming from pain, fear and anger. Tears had formed in her eyes, and she didn't care if they fell. She had already shown weakness in front of the enemy, so what were a few tears?

"Don't be so sure." Zuko murmured after a moment, his voice barely above a whisper. When Katara stole a glance at him, his gaze was averted. If Katara had thought on this, she would've realized that the reason that Zuko was looking away through guilt. After a moment, he drew away the hand pinning Katara to the wall and put out the fireball.

Katara's hand immediately flew to her shoulder, prodding it delicately to check if it was alright. Zuko had stepped away silently. Although hurting Katara had shown that Zuko wasn't on her side, letting her go showed that there was some good inside of him. If she could focus on that good, maybe get him to realize it, then he would turn on Azula and help the Avatar instead. At least, in Katara's mind. Even she knew how ridiculous and unlikely the whole thing sounded, but there was no harm in trying, right?

"Sometimes bad things happen to good people." Katara told Zuko gently, wondering only briefly why the hell she wasn't just running away right now. "But that doesn't make them bad people." She paused, trying to lighten the moment. "Just really unfortunate."

Zuko took a couple more steps back without taking his eyes off Katara, something that greatly unnerved her. He seemed to know exactly when to stop without backing into the wall behind him and when he did stop, his eyes remained locked on Katara's.

"People make mistakes." She said, starting to get nervous and regretting staying and talking. "You made a really big, really stupid mistake in siding with Azula. But you can make it right, it doesn't have to-"

"You may look different, but you're still the same, trusting fool you were before." Zuko cut across. "Did you really think that a few inspirational words would make me change my mind? Make no mistake, the only you're still conscious is because you know where the Avatar is."

Katara stared at him in horrified silence. Every instinct in her body was now screaming at her to run. Zuko was unpredictable, and that made him dangerous. There was something dark in his eyes that she couldn't place, something that she didn't _want_ to place.

"You know I'll never tell you where he is." Katara said, her quivering voice echoing in the alley, all attempts to talk rationally now abandoned.

"We'll see." Zuko replied, a cross between a dark smile and a sneer on his lips. "You have ten seconds to get out of my sight before I change my mind and drag you off to Azula."

Katara wasted two of her seconds staring dumbfounded at Zuko, before she came to her senses and put one foot in front of the other. She spent another precious second trying to figure out what was currently going through Zuko's mind. Realizing that she could spend the next ten years and still not know what was going through the Prince's mind, she started backing away hurriedly. Part of her was worried that Zuko would attack her when her back was turned, and she wouldn't put it past him right now, so she didn't dare turn around until she had reached the mouth of the alley. Then, without looking back, Katara ran as fast as she could. Past the prison-like buildings, the soldiers guarding the doors, the single market stalls standing solitary on the edge of the marketplace. Only when she reached the middle of the market did she stop to breathe in the foul smelling air. To her credit, she had managed to cling onto the food that Zuko had bought. She considered throwing it away in disgust, but she and her friends really needed the nutrition, and her pride wouldn't let them starve. She threw a careless glance sideways, only to see Cabbage Guy still in hysterics.

_You think you've got problems? _Katara thought sceptically, before running on to meet Sokka, noticing nothing, just focusing on getting back to where she was wanted by her friends. Sokka wasn't at the meeting place yet, and the wide road looked lonely and uninviting. Hugging her cloak closer to herself in an attempt to feel safe, Katara waited. When Sokka did come, Katara mentioned nothing of what had happened with Zuko. She just wanted to forget.

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Zuko had watched the girl run off with a confusing mixture of thoughts in his mind. Part of him was scolding himself for being so cruel on Katara; another was applauding him for his actions and comments. The part of his mind responsible for the first thought was undoubtedly Uncle Iroh's influence on him; the second part was Azula's. Zuko was glad that Katara hadn't asked why he was in the marketplace, or why he had paid for her food. How was he supposed to explain how, even after this short amount of time, he was sick of the palace? The servants, with their sly comments when they thought he was out of earshot, Azula treating him with disdain, his father treating him no better? The embarrassing truth was, the only place he could command any respect was in common marketplaces. He had been visiting the market every day for the past week now, just to escape his family and the constant reminder of everything he had done wrong. And Zuko would love to say that he paid for a girl's food because he was chivalrous, but that wasn't the case. In all honesty, the girl looked so out of place and awkward that he felt a connection to her. Then he found out who she was, and, well, things had gone downhill from there. It didn't help that, at a fleeting glance, the girl's new hairstyle resembled that of his mother's, and of all strong Fire Nation women.

Katara's attempt to blend in with the Fire Nation meant that the Avatar and his friends would be staying for a while. That would cause problems. But Zuko would decide what he would do about this encounter with the Water Tribe girl later. For now, he would keep quiet.

_Trust her to come along and mess everything up, _Zuko thought angrily. He turned in the direction where Katara had just run from.

"Welcome to the Fire Nation!" He shouted bitterly.

_**A/N:**_

_**I hope you liked my rather angsty first attempt at a oneshot. I'm not so sure about it.**_

_**Reviews are appreciated, and if you have any suggestions or criticism then please tell me, as long as it's constructive.**_

_**For those readers expecting the sequel to "The Journey", don't worry, I'll be posting that as soon as I can. I just wanted to write this oneshot first, because the idea wouldn't leave me alone :P.**_

_**In Case You Didn't Know:**_

_**:D Avatar Season Three - 21**__**st**__** September:D**_

_**(Oh, and does anyone wanna explain to me why I'm posting this at 12.10 a.m on a Sunday morning instead of waiting until a decent hour:P)**_

_**- Momo**_


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